58
Pippa broke the shocked silence, her scowl deepening as she caught sight of who was standing behind the crowd. "What are you doing here?" she demanded angrily.
Teag's expression twisted in annoyance. "What are you doing here?" he snapped back. "You've ruined everything!"
"When I get a hold of you, Mop-head..." she threatened, wrenching in her chains.
Nearby, the evil village leader was pushing himself back up, after Teag's blast landed him on his rear end. "Now this is an interesting turn of events," he mused, studying the dreadlocked boy in wonder.
"Shut up, and let her go." Teag's green eyes turned violet. "You're not getting any powered slaves today."
"I can handle this myself!" Pippa argued, straining against the stupid chains that made her feel so weird. "Go away. I don't need your help, you jerk noodle."
"You're literally tied up right now, fluff-brain!"
"I CAN DO THIS MYSELF!"
Teag rolled his eyes, but the traders around Pippa had started shifting over to the dreadlocked boy. One of the ones holding Pippa in place turned to the leader. "What do you want us to do, Quazier?"
"I'm thinking," the leader assured, stroking his chin. "Still trying to process the fact that my new blacksmith had powers all this time and I didn't realize until now. What were you trying to accomplish, boy?"
"Nothing," Teag growled. "Now let her go already...I promise, you don't want her. She's nothing but trouble."
"That's rich coming from you!" Pippa spat.
"You're the one who transported into the middle of a slave camp, Pip-squeak. What kind of idiot..."
"You're here too!" she spat. "So what does that make you?"
"How about you kids pick up on this argument later," Quazier interrupted, and Pippa could see the traders inching toward Teag the same way they had surrounded her. Only one trader was left holding her and her chains in place, as the others had released her to try to grab Teag.
"Get out of here!" she told him. "Go find Raiyn and go get Hershel and my Dad. I can handle these guys."
Teag's expression darkened, and he glanced around as the traders surrounded him. His fists lit up and he turned his attention to the bejeweled leader. "Let us go, or I'll make you let us go."
Quazier smiled. "I'll take my chances."
The traders lurched forward, and Pippa yelled in frustration as she watched Teag dodge the attacks. She knew he was no fighter—she had challenged him to spar once in the Hidden village and beaten him soundly in less than a minute, and he had refused to ever fight her since then. As far as she knew, Mop-head didn't even own a weapon. How was he going to defend himself?
Pippa thrashed against her chains with more gusto, trying to summon her powers. The fact that they wouldn't respond was frightening her—she had never had her powers act like this. She cursed and fought while Teag kept his pursuers at bay with blasts of aura. Pippa growled as she watched him, annoyed that his aural technique wasn't as terrible as his swordplay.
This just means that Hershel lied and he IS teaching everyone else as much as he's teaching me, she thought bitterly. All the more reason I needed these tattoos.
"If you can free yourself, now would be a great time!" Teag snapped, pulling Pippa from her thoughts.
"What do you think I'm trying to do, stupid?" Pippa demanded. Getting free of the chains was probably not going to happen, as much as it infuriated her, but she wiggled to try to reach the knife in her boot. If she couldn't rely on her powers, she could at least stab some people. Teag was being careful of the chains, dodging the different traders trying to snare him and burning anyone who got too close to him.
The trader holding Pippa screamed out as she managed to slice into his leg, and she pulled free from him at last. She ripped the chains off of her in disgust, shaking as she stumbled out of the injured trader's grip. As the last chain fell away, Pippa felt her power surge inside again, and she sighed in relief as her hands lit up. She chucked a few aura blasts at the traders who noticed her freedom, running through them. Teag seemed outnumbered, but she didn't have time to help him. She needed to find Raiyn.
"Where are you going?" the dreadlocked boy snapped as he tried to follow. Someone grabbed him, and he blasted them backward.
"I have to find Raiyn."
"I already found him. He's..." Teag trailed off, and Pippa stopped to look back in annoyance. The boy's face had drained of color, and he seemed to be staring back at the crowd of traders in a daze.
"He's where?" Pippa demanded, moving closer to grab his wrist. Teag shook her off, his expression contorting.
"Dee?"
"Where's my cousin, Mop-Head?" Pippa demanded. Someone grabbed her from behind, and she thrashed as they tried to pin her arms to her sides. "Let go, or you'll pay!" she screamed, desperately trying to muster enough energy for an attack.
"All right. That's enough!" Quazier's voice rang out over the chaos. The traders stood down, but Pippa would have gone right on rampaging if she didn't hear the whimper.
"Pip-pip."
Her eyes widened as she turned. Now that everyone had once again come to a standstill, she realized that the bearded leader was holding a worn-out toddler. Raiyn was pouting tiredly as he rested his head on Quazier's shoulder, and the leader smiled as he caught Pippa's eye.
"I believe we finally found that cousin of yours," he pointed out.
"Put him down, or I'll kill you!" she screamed. She went to burn the man holding her, but someone had wrapped the stupid chain around her again.
"Calm down. There's no need for anyone to get hurt," the trader tsked as he fingered the hilt of his dagger. Pippa froze, realizing what he was threatening. Quazier nodded patronizingly. "That's a good girl. Now...what to do with the two of you?"
Pippa looked around and realized that Teag was on his knees, a chain wrapped around his neck. He wasn't looking at her, though...or Quazier. His gaze was still trained on the crowd of traders.
"You have to let us go," Pippa growled, turning back to the leader. "Do you know who we are?"
"A little family of powered brats, from the looks of it," he answered, shifting Raiyn on his hip. He looked down at the four-year-old. "Does this one have powers, too?"
"He's just a baby! He doesn't have powers...he doesn't have anything!" Pippa yelled. "Now put him down, or my Uncle Hershel will kill you!"
"Daddy..." Raiyn mumbled, and Pippa felt sick as she realized how out of it he was. What had happened to her cousin since she had last seen him?
"What did you do to him?" she demanded.
"Just woke him up from his nap, is all," the trader assured, rubbing Raiyn's hair fondly as the toddler yawned and snuggled closer to the man. Pippa cursed her cousin's babyish stupidity. He should be fighting to free himself, not cozying up to the enemy. The girl's mouth was dry as she tried to think of what to do. She wanted to free herself again and drive her sword into the cocky trader's middle, but she didn't know how to without putting Raiyn in danger. Her chest was tightening with fear as she began to fully process their situation, and she finally turned to the boy that was on his knees nearby.
"This is all your fault!" she screamed at him. Teag blinked, as if her words had finally snapped him out of whatever daze he was in. However, instead of looking at her, he called out to the traders.
"Dee!"
Pippa furrowed her brow in confusion, and suddenly Teag was fighting the men holding him.
"Dee! Dee, it's me!"
The crowd of traders looked around at each other, and Pippa caught sight of a lanky trader in the crowd. He seemed younger than the others, and something about him seemed familiar. After a moment, he realized what it was—the young man looked like Teag.
"It's me, Teag!" the dreadlocked boy continued as he fought desperately. The young trader had blanched, and Pippa narrowed her eyes. The other traders seemed to realize that Teag was addressing their youngest member, and Quazier raised his eyebrow expectantly.
"You know this kid, Blade?"
The young man frowned, making a show of studying Teag. "Can't say I do."
Teag looked like he had been slapped as the color drained from his face. Pippa was surprised to see tears form in his eyes as his expression contorted with anger.
"I'm your brother!" he yelled, his voice cracking. "Why are you lying?"
Quazier whistled low. "I do think I see some resemblance," he pointed out, and Blade—or Dee—flushed as he glanced up at the leader.
"No way," he said, forcing a laugh. "He got caught, and he's trying to lie his way out of this into your good graces."
"If he wanted into my good graces, he's had ample opportunities to get there before now." Quazier's expression was pensive as he studied Pippa and Teag where they were chained up in the dirt.
Pippa met his gaze angrily. "My family is already looking for us—they have powers too, you know. It won't take them long to find us, and then you're really going to be sorry!"
"If your family has powers, we'll add them to the offering!" Quazier said with a sickening grin. "Ancient's be praised that I already got two of you, after years of coming up empty. Know what this means, boys? Now we can sell one to make a pretty profit and keep one for ourselves." The trader's eyes glinted dangerously as he shifted the sleeping toddler in his arms. "It's up to the two fire-crackers to decide who gets to be who, huh?"
Pippa's blood ran cold at the way he was looking at them, and she glared back at him hatefully. Teag didn't even seem to be aware of what the leader was saying as he continued to stare despairingly at the boy he called Dee.
"Keep em chained up, and put them in their own tent," Quazier ordered. "I want them heavily guarded until the transport gets here. Then we'll decide who stays and who leaves."
Julien came to slowly, and he was aware of an unfamiliar smell. It was musty—the smell of stone. He stirred, and then there was a warm hand on his face.
"Julien?"
He opened his eyes, and he realized groggily that Agatha's face was inches from his. Her large eyes were full of worry, and he blinked up at her as he tried to remember where he was. "Agatha?" he mumbled. She exhaled shakily, her eyes suddenly swimming with tears. Julien frowned, trying to sit up. "Are you all right?"
"No." Agatha's voice wavered as she leaned back, allowing him to right himself. "I'm not...ve are in trouble, Julien."
The young scientist furrowed his brow, as he looked around at their surroundings. He was lying on a couch in one corner of what looked to be an office. A few armchairs were stationed nearby, as well as a fireplace. The entire room was made of stone, which is why it must have smelled musty. A desk made of dark wood sat in one corner next to a large board covered in scribbles.
"Where are we?"
"Zerek's Private Laboratory in ze mountains of Estyeer," Agatha answered. Her hand found his and she squeezed it desperately. "Julien...he's plotting somezing. I should have told you sooner. I should have told you and Amber vat I knew before facing him, but I never vould have zot..."
"Zerek attacked me," Julien remembered distantly. "We were trying to call the police, and then..." He trailed off, rubbing a goose egg on the back of his head with a wince.
"He drugged you to bring you here," Agatha affirmed, her expression tight with concern. "Just as he did me, a few days ago."
"A few days? But you have been writing me..."
Agatha's expression darkened hatefully. "No. I have written you nozing, Julien. It has all been Zerek, spinning a sticky trap to ensnare you. And I could do nozing to stop him...if anyzing, I made his job easier." Agatha covered her mouth with one hand, shaking her head with horror. "Julien...vat do ve do?"
"What does Zerek want with me?" Julien looked around the room, as if the walls could tell him the answers. He still felt dazed, which he reasoned must be the lingering effects of whatever drug Zerek had used against him. The young scientist realized he was afraid, but he buried the feeling. Fear wasn't going to help him now. He needed to think about this logically, not emotionally.
"It isn't just you," Agatha admitted miserably. "He's after all of your friends, Julien. Ze vons vith elemental powers."
Julien blinked as he turned to face her again. "But I do not have elemental powers," he pointed out.
"I don't know vat his plans are, exactly...but in his MIRI office zere vas zis hidden board...a board viz your faces on it. He said it vas part of some collection. Vatever he's planning, it's about you and your family."
Julien's heart pounded at the revelation, but he took a deep breath and worked through the problem in his mind. "If he is after the elemental powers, why target us? Why hasn't he gone after our parents? Why now..."
"I don't know." Agatha was chewing her lip, and Julien realized that his girlfriend looked close to tears. He squeezed her hand, and she looked up at him.
"Why did he bring you here?" he asked, and the woman's face crumpled.
"I tried to face him...I confronted him about vat I discovered, and he drugged me and locked me up here. I assume he used me to lure you here as vell."
Julien thought back to the conversation Zerek had had with them before Amber had received the phone call from Dani. Had they not listened to that message, they would have willingly gone with Zerek to this very place, not realizing that it was all a trap. The fact that the lead scientist that Julien had been working under—and in some ways, looked up to—had been plotting against him for who knew how long made Julien feel nauseous.
"Zis is my fault," Agatha lamented, and Julien looked up to shake his head.
"It is not your fault. Zerek had us all fooled...I have a feeling we would have ended up here one way or another." He shuddered. "But I have been working at the MIRI for months...nearly a year now. Why not ever lure me here before?"
"I vish I had answers," Agatha admitted.
"This is a strange place to lock us up," Julien added, looking around the spacious office.
"Zis is no cell. Zis is Zereks' office."
"Why are we in his office?"
"I don't know." Agatha swallowed as she glanced around, as if expecting the scientist to appear from any corner. "Von of his goons took me from my cell and brought me here. Ven I arrived, you vere on ze couch...just lying zere." Her voice broke. "I zot you vere dead, for a moment. Anozer man brought food, and told me zat I vas to get you to eat vonce you woke up."
"Eat?"
Agatha gestured to a nearby table, and Julien realized there was a small bowl of soup. He frowned at it, and his girlfriend shook her head miserably.
"I don't vant to do anyzing Zerek tells me...but I don't vant you to starve, eizer. I don't know vat game he's playing."
"Do you think the food is drugged?" Julien mused leaning forward to pick up the bowl. He gave it a hesitant sniff, but mainly it just smelled like under seasoned chicken broth.
"I tried it earlier, and it didn't seem to do anyzing," his girlfriend admitted softly. Julien looked over in surprise.
"Agatha!"
"I had to make sure it vas safe," she pointed out defensively. "No doubt you're hungry, and you need to keep up your strength, but I vasn't about to let you eat somezing zat Zerek has tampered vith."
"You should not have tried it, if you thought it had been tampered with."
"I've been eating ze food zey have given me for two days, and it has been fine. Tasteless and disgusting, but not drugged. At least, not zat I can tell."
Julien looked back down at the soup, and he finally grabbed the spoon. He had no desire to eat the tepid, bland meal, especially not if it was something Zerek had ordered, but once again, he forced himself to look at it logically. If the soup was merely soup, then he shouldn't pass up the opportunity for nourishment. He was going to need to keep his strength up if he was going to figure out what Zerek wanted from them and figure out how to get out of this mess.
Agatha watched warily as he began to eat, and Julien made fast work of the soup. It wasn't very good, and he didn't feel like spending more time than necessary on it. When he finished, he set the empty bowl down and stood up.
"Amber was with me, when Zerek attacked," he remembered. "Is she here? Have you seen her?"
"I haven't seen anybody," Agatha admitted softly. "Zo...I could hear somevon crying vhen zey took me zro ze halls to zis place."
"Somebody crying?" Julien's stomach flipped. "Did it sound like Amber?"
"It sounded male." Agatha rubbed her face. "I'm sorry, JC. I vish I could be of more help...I've felt so useless and helpless zese last few days."
"You are not useless," Julien assured her as he helped her to her feet. "Agatha, together, we will figure this out."
"How? Zere are so many guards...and Zerek is alvays two steps ahead."
"We are just as smart as Zerek. We will find a way out of this."
She stared at him, and her hand came to rest on his cheek. "How are you so calm about zis?" she asked, still looking like she was on the verge of tears. "Ve have no idea vat Zerek wants, or vat he plans to do vith us..."
"I guess it's a family trait," Julien said, smiling grimly. "I come from a legacy of situations not too different than this one."
"Indeed you do." The voice was gentle, but the words might as well have been an attack, the way Agatha and Julien flinched. They turned to see Zerek in the doorway, studying them pensively.
"Zerek...you no good, villainous pig," Agatha murmured hatefully. "Vie have you brought us here?"
"I have brought you because you are useful to me," Zerek said casually. Two large scientists entered the room, identical in their looks and size. Julien and Agatha eyed them warily, and Zerek made a gesture with his hands. "Please escort Ms. Axel to her room. She has been helpful, but I need to speak vith Julien alone."
"Don't touch me!" Agatha hissed as she moved away, and the lead scientist sighed.
"Agatha, do not make zis harder zan it needs to be."
"Whatever you need to say to me, surely there is no harm in Agatha being in the room," Julien pointed out coldly. Zerek turned to meet his eye, and after a moment, the scientist smiled a little.
"Agatha is a great scientist...but she lets emotion cloud her judgment," he said at last, gesturing for the guards to grab the woman. "Emotion is not needed in zis discussion."
"You do not think I have emotion?" Julien demanded. "I feel just as strongly as Agatha does about you. Whatever you are plotting..."
"You have been taught to think logically, no matter the situation," Zerek mused. The guards grabbed Agatha, and Julien moved to fight them. One of the large men shoved the young man away, and Zerek moved further into the room. "Let her go, Julien. Behave, and I vill allow you to see her later on."
Julien met Agatha's eye, and silently, they came to a grudging understanding. He watched as his girlfriend gave up fighting against her captors, and Julien stood stock-still as he watched them take her from the room.
59
"Very good, Julien."
The younger scientist clenched his fists, turning to face the strange Metallonian staring at him. "Agatha told me you are after elemental powers," he said. No point in beating around the bush. "I do not have the element of ice, so if that is why you have brought me here..."
"I am aware zat you are powerless, Julien. And vonce, zat vas irksome to me." Zerek had reached one of the armchairs, and he lowered himself down as he gestured to the other. "Take a seat." Julien moved to do so, keeping his eye on the other scientist as Zerek continued. "Your tie to elemental power is ze reason I offered you ze internship at ze MIRI...and it is ze reason I insisted zat you go visit your home a month or so ago. I had hoped zat vith all ze ozer elements changing owners from parent to child, you vould gain your own elemental inheritance during ze trip. Alas, you came back unchanged."
Julien's grip on the armchair tightened, his chest aching. He wasn't sure why—was this feeling because Zerek was admitting to plotting against him for so long? Or was it because the scientist had only ever seen his potential as an elemental master, and not a scientist or engineer? "Then why am I here? I still do not possess any elemental power."
"It is true," Zerek agreed. "But you see...ze more I watched you work, ze more I realized how useful you could be to me in ozer vays." He leaned forward, studying Julien meaningfully. "Your mind vorks much like mine does...vich is amazing to me. And you possess so much knowledge zat cannot be found anyvere else...knowledge zat is crucial to my latest research and experiments."
"I am not following your argument," Julien warned, and Zerek pushed his fingers together thoughtfully.
"You said it yourself—your father's research is not on any database...zere is no copy of it anyvere, ozer zan his own mind. But you have vitnessed zat research up close. You can assist me in my vork."
"My father's research?" Julien's mouth was dry. "I barely know anything about it, really."
"You know enough to base your entire graduate project on it," Zerek reminded. "I need your help, Julien. Zat is vie I brought you here, as elementless as you are. You are going to be my assistant in ze procedures I am about to undertake."
"You seem confident in that assumption," Julien mused, studying the scientist. "Why?"
Zerek smiled. "Because zis is ze subject of my research." He pulled a small remote out from his labcoat, turning to a large black screen mounted on the wall. Julien glanced up at it, steeling himself for what he would see. He hadn't been sure what to expect, but as the screen flickered on, his stomach dropped to his shoes.
"Colby?" Julien got to his feet, his voice sounding far away in his ears as he stared at the screen in denial. The camera feed was grainy—it seemed to be some kind of security footage, with the camera honed in on a figure restrained on a hospital-style table. The young man was openly crying as he fought the restraints, and more of the large, lab-coated men hovered around him, trying to stick him with I.V.s
"So...you see vat is at stake."
Julien turned to Zerek as a fury filled him. "That," he started, gesturing to the screen. "Is my friend. I will not help you with whatever sick research you are trying to accomplish."
"You must," Zerek replied simply. "Julien...for ze procedure to be a success..."
"What procedure?" Julien snapped. It was rare for him to raise his voice, but he couldn't help but yell now. "What are you planning on doing with him?"
"I am taking ze element from him," Zerek offered as he stood as well. "I am going to take all of ze elements, and mesh zem vith machine. Zat is ze vay it alvays should have been, in ze first place. Vie ze first spinjitzu master trusted men..."
"You are insane," Julien hissed.
"Look at your own fazer, Julien...or, razer, ze machine zat you call fazer." Zerek shook his head patronizingly. "Did he not perform his vigilante duties better zan all his teammates? Did he not master his element more completely, and understand it more fully? If each of ze elements had been similarly housed, so many of ze mistakes made over ze years..."
"My father is not perfect, nor has he ever claimed to be. He makes as many mistakes as anyone...and he will admit it to anyone who asks." Julien glowered at Zerek, having gotten his temper under control. "He has his weaknesses, as did all his team members. They worked together to complete each other, and fill in where—"
"I do not care about your parent's heroics," Zerek interrupted. "All I care about is getting power into ze hands of zos who can use it better, to it's true full potential."
"What do you want the elemental power for? Do you want to make yourself king over all Ninjago? To cause people to bow to your might?"
"Of course not," Zerek said, seeming amused. "No...I merely vish to understand fully ze powers and vat zey could accomplish for ze realm. Zey are doing very little sitting in zeir chambers of imperfect flesh. Imagine using ze power of water to solve drought...or ze power of fire to create endless energy, vithout ze need to burn coal. Or better yet, harnessing lightening so zat it charged machines vith no carbon footprint."
"Elemental power was not meant for that sort of thing."
"Zen vat is it meant for?" Zerek asked with a chuckle. "To hurt people zat somevon labeled as "bad?" To fight against some constant evil? To be used to maim, or destroy? Even if zat vas a worzy purpose—vich I personally do not believe it to be—zere has been no threat to Ninjago for years." Zerek turned to the screen, where Colby's thrashing was becoming slower as the scientists managed to turn on the I.V. drip. "Vat is your friend going to do viz ze element of vater, if he vere allowed to keep it?"
Julien wished he had an answer, but he couldn't think of one on the spot. He hated how much Zerek's argument mirrored his own secret thoughts...ones that had kept him from allowing his father to ever pass the element on to him.
"Zis is vie I like you, Julien," Zerek said simply. "I knew you of all people vould see ze logic in zis."
"You are going to hurt him," Julien countered. "Whether the elements are best utilized in people or not, the reality is that they are in people, and hurting them to get the elements out is wrong. I have no desire to play god, Zerek."
"I know zat ze boy could be hurt in ze process...I vill not lie and say it is not a possibility. Zat is vie I need you, Julien."
"You need to give up on the whole idea!"
"You know I vill not. I have come zis far, and I plan to follow zrough. But vith ze knowledge you have of elemental powers, you can help me make ze procedure as painless as possible for your friend. I am a good scientist...but I vill be honest in saying zat my bedside manner is not vat it could be. Join me as my assistant, and you can be my emotional anchor...ze voice of reason zat keeps me from going too far."
Julien had started trembling, and he looked back at where Colby was lying still.
"I vill get ze element out of him von vay or anozer, Julien. I am giving you ze chance to protect ze boy so zat he makes it out of ze procedure alive." Zerek's gaze was calm as he stared at Julien, unblinking. "So? Vill you help me?"
Hershel's impatience was growing, and he could feel Myrah watching him as he paced. "This is getting ridiculous," he pointed out at last, turning to face his wife. "We've been in this waiting room for hours."
"We came unannounced. This is the way things are sometimes, Hershel. Leader's don't appreciate unexpected visits from other leaders...Tala especially."
"She's purposefully not seeing us. She could have spoken with us the moment we arrived—this is some kind of power play."
"That's exactly what it is," Myrah agreed. "We just have to wait her out."
"I can't wait any longer," Hershel admitted. "Teag is out there somewhere, and the longer we waste in this room, the more likely he is to get hurt."
Myrah went to answer, but before she could, the door opened and a servant came into the room. "Leader Tala can see you now, Leader Myrah." The servant offered. Myrah nodded her thanks as she came over and took her husband's hand.
"Here we go," she murmured, but Hershel didn't respond. They followed the servant to Tala's office. The Eastern Leader was sitting at her desk with an irritated expression, and she didn't try to hide it as Hershel and Myrah entered.
"Myrah. What brings you to my fortress today with no prior warning?"
Hershel knew that Myrah was prepared to handle this diplomatically, but diplomacy took too long. Before his wife could say anything, he stepped forward.
"My ward is missing, and we have reason to believe he would have come here."
He felt Myrah stiffen, and Tala's gaze slid over to him as she frowned. "Remind me of your name," she said at last, and Hershel met her eye.
"Hershel."
"I understand you have accompanied Leader Myrah today, but as you have no title, perhaps it would be best if you waited in the sitting room while we discussed this matter."
"No. You have kept us waiting long enough," Hershel said simply, standing his ground. "The matter we have come to see you about is for my ward, not Myrah's...and I intend to play an active role in finding him, leadership title or not."
Myrah squeezed his hand, but he didn't look at his wife as he continued to stare at Tala. The Eastern Leader sighed, but she finally motioned him to continue. "Why do you believe this ward of yours would be here?"
"He came weeks ago looking for his brother, as both are native to the East," Hershel explained. "But he was told that his older brother had been arrested for pickpocketing and imprisoned in the fortress under your command."
Tala's expression flickered and she leaned forward. "We do not house petty criminals here."
"We are aware—" Myrah started, but Hershel cut her off.
"That goes against what we have been hearing elsewhere," he told her coolly. "There are sources that have told us they have seen your own guards arresting pickpockets and others and dragging them to the fortress."
"Myrah, please explain to me what your husband is trying to accuse me of," Tala said angrily as she stood. "I have told you already that I do not house petty criminals here, last you visited. You are free to check the dungeons yourself, if you are more willing to believe street vendors than myself."
"Your dungeons are empty," Hershel said. "But that does not mean that they always have been."
Tala narrowed her eyes, and Myrah jumped in at last.
"Hershel's ward, Teag, was upset when he discovered that his brother was missing. He disappeared a few days ago, and we wondered if he came here to try to find or free his brother based on what he had been told...whether the rumors he had heard were true or not. Have you had any young men insist on having an audience with you?"
"No," Tala's gaze was cold as she stared down at them.
"He's a fourteen-year-old with dreadlocks tied with colorful string, and he would have been dressed in Western Attire. You haven't seen him?" Hershel asked. For the briefest moment, he swore Tala's expression flickered again, but it was so quick that he also wasn't sure if he was imagining it. Not for the first time in the last few years, he wished he was still able to sense people's feelings. The skill came in handy at times like this.
"The only ones brash enough to demand an audience with me to accuse me of things of which there is no evidence have been you," Tala said calmly. "I assure you, I have not seen your ward, nor his brother, and if you believe he has come to the East, then your time would be better spent checking villages than condemning me." She gestured for her guards to open the doors to the office. "I think it is best that you leave now, unless you have anything else you would like to throw into my face."
"Thank you for seeing us," Myrah offered, and Hershel could hear the strain in her tone. He knew that she was probably upset with him for not allowing her to take charge of the conversation, but Hershel was not one to mince words. Not when it was important.
"I would hope you'd let us know, if you catch wind of Teag," Hershel added, fixing Tala with a severe look. "If I've learned anything in my life...it's that the truth comes out eventually."
The Eastern Leader stiffened angrily, and Myrah practically dragged Hershel from the room. The office doors closed behind them, and the Western Leader sighed heavily.
"Hershel..."
"I know," he admitted. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you...but I have no sympathy for liars."
"You realize that Haiven could have been wrong about the arrest she witnessed. We have no other evidence..."
"Haiven is nothing if not observant. She has been her whole life. And even if the arrest she witnessed wasn't Teag's brother, it was still the arrest of a pickpocket who was taken to the fortress, which still means that Tala lied. I just don't know how much she's lied about."
Myrah slipped her arm into Hershel's, and he finally looked over at her. He wondered if she would be angry, but if anything, she just seemed concerned.
"We'll find him, Hershel."
Amber couldn't stop crying. She wasn't even making any sound...the tears rolled down her face silently, and she wiped at them for the hundredth time. The cell she and M were sitting in was small, and the only place to sit was the bed bolted to the floor.
"I'm okay," M assured for the tenth time, rolling his shoulder to prove it to her. She didn't miss the wince, however, and the Xinta stared at the floor. "Amber...I'm fine. We're going to get out of this."
"How?" The word came out bitterly.
"We're up against what? A deranged scientist and his giant cronies? You've defeated way worse than that before. This kind of thing is right up your alley."
Amber's fists clenched on her lap. "We're stuck in this place with no way to let anyone know we're here, M."
"But it's just a normal building, right? Not some creepy Island that's alive...and the people we're up against are just normal people, like you and me. No ghosts or sorceresses or evil dragons or anything."
"M..."
"We just have to get this vengestone cuff off of you," he pointed out as he reached over to touch it. "After that, you could defeat this idiot and all his goons with ease. You're the one who singlehandedly defeated that one crazy lady with one horn, remember?"
"Theo died in that battle, M!" Amber looked up at last to meet his gaze, her own eyes still swimming with tears. She pulled the vengestone cuff away from her friend. "And we can't mess with this...if Zerek sees us trying to remove it..." her voice cut off, her gaze drifting at his arm in a sling. "All I did was yell at him, and he did that to you."
"What, this?" M shook the sling, giving her a lopsided smile. "This was just an extreme show of power, Oni-girl. He won't do it again."
"What are you talking about?"
"The whole setup was just to make you feel powerless," M. offered. "I mean, taking us on a "tour" together? We barely saw anything in that village he claimed he wanted to show us...that was no tour. He was just waiting for the opportunity to make a show of power—to overreact so that you know not to mess with him. My father used to do stuff like this all the time."
"Your father used to rip your arm out of its socket?" Amber demanded. M. winced.
"Okay...not stuff literally like this. His stuff was more emotional. Fly off the handle and ground me for days, or scream and yell at me to cow me into behaving. I'm telling you, the scientist was fully intending on doing this the whole time, to make you feel like you'd done something wrong so that you'd toe the line from now on. We can't play his game."
"Except his game is to hurt you every time I don't do what he says!" Amber snapped.
"If we can get that cuff off of you...you can transport us both out of here," M. pointed out, his voice becoming softer. "We could go get help and take this guy down. He knows that...he's trying to scare us into being obedient so that we won't even try to escape. If we do that...then he's already won." He reached for the vengestone cuff, and Amber stood up so that he couldn't reach it.
"I can't risk it. Not with what's on the line." M stared at her, and she wiped away the last of her tears as she fixed him with a determined look. "I won't let him hurt you again, M."
"We can't just sit here and do nothing," he responded. "Amber...he wants to experiment on you. Whatever he has planned for you is going to be worse than what he could do to me. We've got to get you out of here."
"I've dealt with people like him before, M." Amber shuddered as memories forced their way into her mind. "Villains like Zerek aren't all bark. He will follow through with his threats...they always do."
"All the more reason to get that vengestone off of you—he threatened to make you the focus of some freaky experiment." M. stood up. "It's my fault that we're in this mess, Oni-girl. I'm not going to let some psycho have his way with you because we're too scared of what he'll do to me."
"How is any of this your fault?"
"I'm the one who came to Metallonia!" he reminded, his expression clouding. "I shouldn't have done it...I should have just respected your space and stayed in Ninjago City, instead of following you here like an idiot. He got us both because I was stupid enough to—"
"You couldn't have known that Zerek was going to do any of this!" Amber countered. She looked away as she shuddered. "He's been planning this for so long...he would have gotten me to this creepy place one way or another."
"But you would have been able to focus on escaping, if I wasn't here," M insisted. Amber didn't reply, and M grabbed her arm. "Pretend I'm not here, Amber. What would you do in this situation if I wasn't? Sit around and take this guy's abuse? You don't bow to bullies, Oni-girl."
"This is no bully," Amber replied. "And I can't just pretend that you aren't locked up with me..."
"You have to! Do what you would if I wasn't here."
"But you are here!" Amber's voice raised, and she resisted the urge to shove him. "I can't pretend that you aren't...I can't pretend that my choices aren't going to have consequences. I can't do anything that would make him hurt you, M!"
"Oni-girl..."
The door chimed behind them, and they both turned warily. One of the large scientists with sunglasses came into the room, studying them with a lax expression. "It is time to sleep," the man said in a monotone voice. "As there is only von bed in ze cell, Zerek is moving Amber to a new room."
"Tell Zerek we aren't going to be separated," M growled, but Amber was already moving to the doorway. M reached out to take her hand. "Amber..."
"It's okay," she said as she pulled free of his grasp. His expression crumpled, and all at once, Amber realized that he was scared. Without the ability to sense emotion, she hadn't picked up on it...but now she could see it in his eyes. He's been masking it, she realized, and the Oni offered her friend a shaky smile. "We're going to be okay. I'm not going to let them hurt you again."
"I'm not worried about me," M. tried, and Amber swallowed.
"Try to get some sleep, M."
60
Tolan caught sight of his wife down one hallway, and he hurried to catch up with her. "Syn!"
She whirled. "Tol!"
"Where is everyone?" he asked. "The Freak snuck off this morning with Ret, so I came back home, but I haven't been able to find anyone." Syn's expression pinched, and the guard frowned. "Is everything okay?"
"Hershel and Myrah are off looking for Teag," she admitted.
"Teag?"
"I guess he's been missing for days, and they just now realized. Hershel's worried that something's happened to him."
Tolan scoffed. "Probably off giving someone else's daughter tattoos."
"Tol." Syn's tone made it clear that she wasn't in a mood for jokes, and he sobered as his wife continued. "I was supposed to watch Raiyn while they were gone, but I had to teach a class, so I left him with Pippa for a few hours. I thought it would be fine."
"We've had Fluff watch the Squirt before," Tolan agreed. "Why wouldn't that have been fine?"
"I can't find them." Syn's voice cracked with worry. "Tol...they've disappeared. At first I thought they were outside somewhere, but I've checked everywhere and I can't find them."
Tolan took in the information and finally glanced at a window. "It's not dark yet. Usually Pippa's out till all hours."
"She was so angry that I had her watch Raiyn today," Syn admitted. "She was in a bad mood...but she's been in one for days." The curly-haired woman rubbed her face. "I was so short with her—I didn't give her any choice in the matter, and now I'm afraid she's dragged her cousin off somewhere to sulk and punish me for making her do it."
Tolan exhaled slowly, and put his hands on his wife's shoulders. "Someone's got to have seen them."
"I've asked everyone."
"Then maybe she's transported somewhere...to the Hidden Village, or something. When she gets back, I'll talk with her. This kind of behavior has to stop."
"But what if she doesn't come back?" Syn's voice wavered with worry, and Tolan gave her a tight smile.
"She always comes back, Syn. She'll get back here once it gets dark—she isn't going to want to sleep outside, especially now that she doesn't have Baffa with her."
"I just don't know what to do with her anymore, Tol. She's defiant and refuses to do anything I say...and now she's dragging Raiyn into everything. What if something's happened to them?"
"They'll turn up," Tolan promised, though he was beginning to have a niggle of worry himself. "Until then, I'll help you look."
Crickets and other bugs could be heard outside the tent walls. Night had fallen, making it hard to see anything in the tent that Teag and Pippa had been put in. They were chained together, with their backs pressed up against each other. Their wrists were wrapped with the strange chain that left Teag powerless and hollow, with further chains wrapped around their middles. For the first few hours, Pippa had fought and cursed, yelling at Teag about how everything was his fault and threatening the traders who came to tell her to shut up on occasion. At this point, the volatile girl had fallen asleep, her head leaning back on Teag's neck. Unlike Pippa, he had been silent the whole time they had been in the tent...and he was still wide awake, despite the late hour.
Footsteps could be heard outside...soft footsteps, made by someone who didn't want to be heard. Teag looked up at the door, and he swallowed as he watched the doorflap move so someone could enter. The dreadlocked boy's heart pounded, and he waited to see what the trader wanted.
"Teag?"
The boy exhaled shakily, his heart filled with a sudden hope. "Dee?"
"Ancients...it really is you." His brother's tone was hard to read, and Teag shifted subtly so he could try to get a better look at his brother's dark silhouette without waking Pippa.
"You came to let me go?"
"Don't be stupid."
Teag's hope curdled, and tears stung his eyes as his brother crept closer. "Then what are you doing here?"
"You've gotten taller." Dee's voice was distant again, and Teag felt his brother reach out to touch his face before his hand moved to his hair. "What have you done with your hair? You look like a mop."
"You've got to let me go," Teag begged. "If you can get these chains off of us, we can transport out of here."
"Transport?"
"We can get out of the trader camp, back to safety," Teag said. "That's why I came—to help you escape."
Dee snorted in the darkness. "Why would I want to leave?"
Teag's heart dropped further. "You...you're a prisoner here. The traders are planning on selling everyone..."
"Sure, they'll sell the slaves. But I'm not a slave anymore, little brother. I'm one of them."
It was something that Teag had been in denial about, ever since he saw his brother in with the other traders. At Dee's confession, he felt his chest tighten. "No, you're not. They're just using you..."
"I'm not the one chained up," Dee snapped. "Don't you dare judge me, Teag...better a trader rolling in riches than a poor thief stepped on by everyone and barely scraping by."
"You wouldn't have to be a thief anymore!" Teag promised desperately. "That's why I came to find you, Dee. I learned a trade. I'm a blacksmith now...I can support us for real, so that we never have to steal again."
Dee snorted. "A blacksmith? You little liar."
"I am! I have a craft, and I'm good at it."
"You've never been good at anything, except getting caught." Dee smacked Teag lightly on the face. "Look at where you are now, little bro. How'd the traders get you, if you didn't get arrested for something?"
"I did get arrested, but I let myself get caught," Teag argued desperately. "Because I was trying to find you!"
"You think I'm going to buy that? I'm just amazed you're still alive, after all these years. I thought for sure you got arrested years ago...or that you had died." Dee's voice had become grim, and he suddenly rubbed Teag's hair wildly. "Good to see that you're not in the departed realm yet, little bro, but lying isn't going to save you from Quazier."
"I'm not lying! I've been living in the West. The Leader's husband took me in after you left me, and they taught me how to be a blacksmith, and..."
"You expect me to believe all of this?"
"It's the truth!"
"If it's the truth, then you're an even bigger idiot than I thought," Dee replied coldly. His tone shut Teag up, and Dee sighed. "If you really did have a good, cushy place in the west, and got yourself captured on purpose, then you're an idiot."
Teag struggled fighting back the tears. "I did it to find you."
"I can take care of myself, Teag. Sure, I got arrested, and I got lumped in with everyone, but now I've proven my worth. Quazier sees something in me...something that nobody ever has."
Teag felt a flash of anger, and he clenched his fists. "Fine," he hissed through grit teeth. "Stay here, if you like it so much. But the least you could do is let me go."
"Are you insane? I've just barely made a name for myself. I'm not about to put that in jeopardy. You got yourself into this mess, little bro. Get yourself out of it."
"I can't!"
"Look, I saw what you can do." Dee's voice became hard to read. "That...power stuff. You were throwing around purple fire, or whatever it was...and Quazier seemed to like that. You want out of chains, there's an easy way to do it."
"The chains make it so I can't use the power. That's why you have to take them off!"
"I didn't mean use the power to escape, pea-brain. Quazier said there's room for one of you in the inner ring. You just gotta make sure he picks you, and not your crazy girlfriend."
"She's not my girlfriend!"
"Whoever she is—get Quazier to ship her off instead of you, and he'll take the chains off. Then you can belong here, too."
"I don't want to work for slave traders!" Teag snapped. "These are bad men...they take people, and hurt them..."
"Sometimes you have to hurt people to get on top," his brother said coldly as he stood. "It's a sniffer-eat-sniffer world."
"You're not like them. You don't have to do this, Dee."
"My name's not Dee anymore, okay?" the young man snapped. "I'm Blade now. I made a new name for myself...a new life for myself, and I'm not going to let my snot-nosed little brother ruin that for me just like you always ruined everything else." He turned to storm out, and the first tears slipped out of Teag's eyes. If nothing else, he could be grateful for the darkness, so Dee couldn't see him crying.
The young trader hesitated at the door, turning to speak one last time. "My brothers are the Inner Circle now. Impress Quazier tomorrow, and you can join me in that brotherhood. Okay, Teag?"
Teag didn't answer, and Blade scoffed as he left.
"We could have stayed in the East somewhere," Hershel pointed out as they left the stables. Myrah reached out to squeeze his hand.
"We needed to come home. I promise we'll go right back to searching tomorrow, when we have time to organize an actual force."
"I thought that you said Tala wouldn't take kindly to a force of guards combing her province."
Myrah smiled grimly. "Technically, she gave us permission to look...and she didn't ban us from bringing guards." Hershel smiled a little at that...the first time he had smiled all day. Myrah leaned into him as she continued. "He can take care of himself until we find him, Hershel. You taught him well."
"I just wish we could have found him today."
Myrah kissed her husband's temple. "I know."
They entered the fortress, and Myrah decided that she was ready for a long night's sleep. They had done a lot of traveling today, and she knew there would be a lot of it tomorrow as well. But as Syn turned a corner with a terrified expression, the Western Leader suddenly had a sinking feeling there might not be time to rest that night, after all.
"What's wrong?" Hershel demanded, having also caught sight of his sister.
"It's the kids," she admitted, her voice tight with worry. "They're gone."
Rook woke up as someone gently shook her shoulder, and she looked up to see the Heir staring down at her. It occurred to her that she must have really fallen asleep after lying here faking it for so long, and she sat up and stretched out the kink in her neck. "What time is it?"
"It's after dark," Theo admitted as he took a seat next to her. Rook furrowed her brow.
"After dark? How long have I been lying here?"
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "A few hours."
Rook rubbed at her face. "You should have woken me up before now."
"It's all right." Theo was still studying her, and the assassin frowned.
"What? Do I have something on my face?"
He blinked. "No. I'm just trying to decide if we should send you out into the dark tonight."
Rook scoffed as she stood and stretched. "I've told you before, Princey. I'm a big girl...I can handle myself."
"You can stay here tonight, if you want."
Rook turned in surprise. "Your father invited me again? And here I would have thought the Ruler..."
"Dad isn't inviting you. I am."
Rook raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"Just stay in your room this time, all right? You're going to give my mother a heart attack if you keep sneaking around," Theo pointed out.
"You...knew about that?"
"Servants tend to fill me in on the fortress gossip," he admitted. "What were you doing, sneaking around in the dead of the night last time?"
Rook's mind went blank, and she shrugged. "I don't know. Looking around?"
"Steal anything of interest?"
"I'm not a thief!" Rook started, but then she caught sight of his smirk. Realizing he was joking, she slugged him on the shoulder. "Look, just because I'm playing the role of a Skipper doesn't mean that I was stealing from you. It was my first time in a fortress...can you blame me for wanting a private tour?"
"I'm still waiting on a list from Jaqah to see if we're missing anything," Theo mused, and Rook rolled her eyes.
"Shut up," she ordered, and he chuckled. She realized how strange it was for him to joke around like this, when no one was watching. She almost wished he would do it more often.
"Should we go find you a room?" he asked, and Rook watched as he headed for the door. She stayed put standing next to the couch.
"I'll spend the night on one condition," she said, and Theo turned with a questioning look. She smiled a she met his eye. "Tomorrow, we take a break from searching for clues. My mind is shot...obviously, since I passed out here for the last whoever knows how long."
"Then what do you want to do tomorrow?"
"Relax? I'm just saying, I don't want to even see a hoofer tomorrow. Whether that means you let me beat you into a pulp out on sparring field or you finally teach me this chess game..."
"I guess we can take it slow tomorrow," Theo agreed. "Then we can make the trip back to the East the next day."
Rook's heart fell as she thought about riding all the way out to that province just to spend the whole time keeping the Heir distracted, but she feigned a smile. "Sounds like a plan." She made her way over to him, and he didn't even stiffen as she wrapped her arm through his. "Are you going to give me a better room than last time? The view was terrible, and there was such a draft..."
"You're hopeless," he chided as they made their way through the hallway. They passed a few servants and guards, but none of them seemed too bothered by the Heir and the girl on his arm. Rook's smile faded as she thought about the first time she had spent the night.
"You know...these servants might have told you that I was snooping around your bedroom while I was out exploring last time I spent the night."
"They might have mentioned it."
"It was only because you sounded like someone was murdering you," Rook said, giving him a long look. "I was content to give myself a tour, but with the screaming echoing down the halls, I thought some sort of war had started."
Theo's expression became guarded. "It was just nightmares. They're not that big of a deal."
"What do you have nightmares about?" she asked softly. "Your stew being too hot? Your hoofer twisting its ankle?"
Theo scoffed. "Oh, it depends," he said bitterly. "Sometimes I'm in my underwear in front of all the leaders in the realm...and sometimes I'm eight years old and an Ancient with a knife has me pinned against a wall, saying that my death is going to solve all the problems he's facing."
Rook stared at him, not sure if he was joking or not. "Why would you dream about that?"
"Those dreams are more memories than anything," Theo said, his expression dark. "They just play on repeat...my father getting tortured, my sister getting possessed. My girlfriend being held hostage by an evil force. All while I just watch uselessly, not able to do anything about it." Rook was silent, and Theo glanced up as he looked down the hallway. "Lately, I see all of these people chained up. Sometimes they're calling my name, but sometimes they're just crying, or saying something that I can't understand. Every time I try to help them, I fail."
They turned another hall, and Rook struggled to think of what to say. She wanted to make some kind of joke to lighten the mood—the conversation had become heavy. "That sounds...hard," she finally managed. She immediately kicked herself for sounding like an idiot, and Theo snorted humorlessly.
"It doesn't matter. They're just dreams. I might fail in them...but they aren't real. I'm not going to fail those people in real life." The Heir came to a stop and he gestured to a door. "Here's a room with a view...but I can't promise it doesn't have a draft. I think every room in the fortress has a draft."
Rook released the Heir as she realized they had reached their destination. "What's the view of?"
"The stables. The smell can't be beat."
She gave him a withering look, and noticed he was smiling again. "Very funny," she said. "The stables are on the other side of the fortress."
"Ah. Well, then this must be the room that has the best view of the sunrise...if you wake up early enough to see it."
"I'm a pretty early riser," Rook said, putting her hand on her hip. "How do you know this room has the best view of the sunrise?"
"When I was younger, I thought it was so weird that we had so many rooms that didn't have any people living in them. I used to sneak out of my bedroom to sleep in the guest rooms, just for fun."
"You're so weird," she chided.
"If you want, I can take you to the room that has the worst stable smell," Theo warned. "That was the only one I couldn't stand to spend the whole night in. I tried to sneak back to my own room and got caught by Jaqah on the way. They started checking to make sure I stayed put in my room after that."
"It sounds like they've been making sure that you stay put for a long time," Rook mused, and Theo's expression flickered. He reached out to open the door to the room for her.
"See that you stay put tonight, or I can't promise my mother won't ban you from ever coming back."
"I'll behave myself," she promised. Rook went to go in, but she paused to turn back to him. Before he could stop her, she leaned in to give him a peck on the cheek. Theo froze, and Rook smiled slyly as she smoothed the collar of his shirt. "Sleep well tonight, all right? If any of those pesky nightmares show up, just remember that you've got a big, strong woman spending the night who can come protect you."
Theo blinked, and he finally pulled away as he rolled his eyes. "I'll keep that in mind."
"Goodnight, Theodynn."
"Goodnight Rook."